Microsoft estimates it lost about $14 billion last year to software piracy - and those may prove to be the most lucrative sales never made. Although the world's largest software maker spends millions of dollars annually to combat illegal copying and distribution of its products, critics allege - and Microsoft acknowledges - that piracy sometimes helps the company establish itself in emerging markets and fend off threats from free open-source programs.

'Microsoft estimates it lost about $14 billion last year to software piracy'

Stupid estimation, if there were no pirated copy's of Windows available I would never spend a few hunderd dollars on a legal one, instead I would go out and find me a free alternative like Linux and I think many people will, so these numbers are really non-saying.